With its unique constellation of leading instrumentalists and singers, Tragicomedia has exerted a strong influence in the field of early music since 1987, exploring every musical genre from lute song to fully-staged Baroque opera and winning awards for their recordings for EMI, Virgin, Hyperion and Harmonia Mundi. Featuring rarely heard baroque instruments (mandolin, lirone, chitarrone, viola da gamba) for a rich palette of instrumental color, the program offers the repertoire of the Italian Cantata— namely those of Handel, Steffani and Barbara Strozzi (who takes 17th century women to task for their flightiness!)— in a festive performance.